8.3.16

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After 28 years, Bangladesh revives case to drop Islam as state religion

antiwar.com via reuters

Legal action to
drop Islam as Bangladesh's state religion has been revived after 28
years, and the High Court has agreed to hear the case later this month.. Bangladesh's
1971 constitution originally declared all religions were equal in the
eyes of the state. However, military ruler Hussain Mohammad Ershad
amended it in 1988 to make Islam the state religion.
. Ershad's
action led a group of 12 citizens to file a writ with the High Court to
overturn the amendment. But Shahriar Kabir, who convened the group,
said the members soon decided not to go ahead with the case.
. "After
filing the case, we realised that the bench would not be favourable for
us, so we did not move further," Shahriar told Reuters on Monday.
. Then
the current government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, again
amended the constitution. The new amendment reinstated the principle of
secularism but also reaffirmed Islam as the state religion.
. The court action
brought by Shahriar's group essentially seeks to resolve that
contradiction. The High Court will hear the case on March 27.
. "It
will take long time to get any decision,” said Rana Dasgupta, a
government prosecutor. "The nature of the case is time-consuming. The
High Court will continue to hear from both parties and then will deliver
its verdict."

About Me

I have been under state surveillance and covert harassment in the UK since 1985, by MI-5 and their gullible friends where ever they are found, and overt harassment with surveillance since march of 1996, when I submitted my final year law degree dissertation, 'The relationship between the state, the security services and the law'.